Robotics – Page 2

VA FIRST Robotics Teams Moving Up

Bill Wilson Robotics 2018-05-152019-01-10

Quite a few FIRST Robotics teams in Southern Virginia, in particular in the SVRTC consortium, were successful in winning out over competing alliances in District and Regional events. The SVRTC wishes to recognize those teams in general and hopes to see this as the continuation of many more successful seasons. I find myself smiling and enjoying a sense of pride when I see our teams go up against teams with big sponsors like Northrop-Grumman or NASA and come out the winner. It demonstrates the talent our mentors and teachers provide each year while they are training our students to build the robots. It also attests to the character and dedication our students put forth as well. When I visit a team and see 10-20 or more students there on a Saturday working on their robot and doing so with the enthusiasm I’ve seen when they are playing video games. There are two programs I routinely watch with pride each year as their students step up and demonstrate the best behavior. They are Band and Robotics. It’s rare to take 10-100 students on long distance trips and see them answer without challenge the directions given them by their Coaches and mentors. Go to one of the competitions and watch the teams for yourself and I expect you will be amazed. It can be addictive, you know, working with the students. I know. This will be my 19th season…

The list shown below is a copy from the FIRST web site. It includes all Virginia Teams including those that are within the SVRTC consortium area and the MBC Southside and Southwest area. You may be able to see the entire page entire page here, but if not the bulk of the seasons info can be seen here. Those numbers in Bold and Red are members of the SVRTC or the SOVA-R Alliance.

Virginia FTC Teams

3595 Schrodingers Hat
3749 Bionic Penguins
7117 Blockheads
8297 Geared Up
10358 Squatch Watch

FIRST Chesapeake FRC Teams

The new 2019 season is just around the corner. Start making plans now to become a mentor and help your local team succeed this year, or become a volunteer at one of the events (more info here). There is room and the need for volunteers is always high. If you’re not interested in becoming a mentor and working with the students one-on-one then consider becoming a sponsor. Your local team struggles each year trying to raise additional funds to cover the cost of hotels, food, transportation, registrations, materials, tools, and the list goes on. Even small donations like $20 add up when enough people contribute. Again, check with your local high school team coach or principal for more information on how you can help out. The video below will help you get a taste of what it’s all about!

2016-17 FIRST Robotics Season

Stephanie Playton Robotics 2017-05-052019-01-11

It has been another successful year for the Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium (SVRTC) in the FIRST Robotics Program! This year, a number of high schools sponsored FIRST Robotics Program teams. In January, these teams received information about the “game” including rules, building information, and everything needed to design and build a robot suitable for competition. Using these tools, the teams of students brainstormed and considered strategies for acquiring the maximum number of points during a match. The teams had 6 weeks to make their design become a functional robot. During the 6-week build, students designed and assembled a robot using a chassis of extruded aluminum, transmissions, specific wheels or tracks, wheel motors, speed control devices, pneumatic cylinders and solenoids, compressors and regulators, solid state switching systems, limit switching, encoded movement, sonar distance sensors, photocell position sensors, temp sensors, belt and/or chain drive systems, WiFi, USB, and bluetooth communications, CAN systems, Labview Programming, and more.

SVRTC became involved in promoting FIRST in high schools within its consortium. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC), the SVRTC aided in identifying high schools with an interest in starting a new robotics team. MBC provided startup grants to help schools get started. Teachers from various disciplines assisted the teams during the build. Students not only had to recall their math skills, like algebra and trigonometry, but also learn new skills as they participated throughout the 6-weeks. Mentors also guided students to learn from their experiences. In some cases a student will begin in FIRST not knowing how to use a screwdriver or socket. Hands on guidance is an integral part of the build.SVRTC‘s and ITTIP’s Senior Technology Engineer, Bill Wilson, has been a key player in mentoring these teams by providing consulting, programming sessions, while also traveling to divisions and competitions all over the region to support the robotics teams. This year SVRTC had teams within the counties of Amelia, Cumberland, Danville, Halifax, Martinsville, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Pittsylvania, and Sussex.

Over the course of the FIRST Robotics Program season, two teams earned a spot to compete in the World Tournament being held in St. Louis, Missouri. These teams are Team 1262 – The Stags, out of Martinsville, Virginia, and Team 1598 -Team Talon, out of Danville, Virginia. We will be following these teams to cheer them on. We hope you do too!